Like member Buffalo, I check out different pizza-related sites from time to time. And, invariably, I come away with something to add to my memory banks. My interest is in anything that teaches me more about pizza making or how to make better pizzas. To feed my habit in that regard, I do from time to time visit eGullet.com, PMQ, Chowhound.com, Pizza Today, sliceny, and even the Italian pizza making forum (despite having to use imperfect translating software). As good as these places may be, my favorite, other than Pizzamaking.com, is the PMQ site, especially because of the Think Tank forum and, more particularly, because of people like Tom Lehmann and Evelyne Slomon who are good teachers and from whom much can be learned. And, at least with respect to Evelyne Slomon, the feeling seems to be mutual. In response to a reply that I recently posted at the PMQ Think Tank, in which I suggested to a poster that he visit our forum for information on Neapolitan pizzas, Evelyne posted the following (in italics) in her reply:
The two best internet sources of pizza information are here at PMQ and at http://www.pizzamaking.com …..Pizza Making is not a commercial site, but it contains a huge amount of information and I regard it as a place where at the very least, serious pizza aficionados hang out, and semi-pro and future pros get their start.
I have been a serious lurker there for quite sometime. Since it has been a long time since I last visited the pizzatherapy website, I did so today to see if possibly I have been missing something. I will preface my remarks by saying that what is important to me is that the information I get on pizza be as objective as possible. I can tolerate a modest amount of advertising and links and references to potential suppliers, since that often helps pay the bills, but beyond that I prefer not to be pestered with infomercials or infotainment or offers to buy products or to be teased with what appears to be free information but turns out to be an invitation or offer to pay for it. Some places will at least warn you that you will be taken to a “not for free” site, and for that I am always grateful.
That said, my biggest complaint with the pizzatherapy website that it is blatantly self-promoting, with ads and offers on every page, in most instances, several. I don’t begrudge anyone the right to earn a living by selling what they know. This is America, after all. But, with the pizzatherapy website, you really have to work hard to find the information that is free without having to wade through a seemingly endless stream of ads, promotions, and opportunities to buy something or sign up for a newsletter. I am just not patient enough to do that. With our forum there is some advertising and links to amazon.com, but they are quietly in the background, and, if one wishes, the advertising can be eliminated by becoming a Supporting Member and, at the same time, help Steve defray the very real costs of running the forum. But even if you aren’t a Supporting Member, the intrusions on the forum experience are minimal. And in no way do the ads compromise the objectivity of the forum.
BTW, Albert Grande, who is a member of our forum, did respond to Jeff Varasano’s and Fio’s comments on his website at
http://www.pizzatherapy.com/pizzanews.htm.
Peter
